ISCRIZIONI DELLA PIRAMIDE DI CAIO CESTIO, GIOVANNI BATTISTA PIRANESI, ETCHING FROM “LE ANTICHITA ROMANE”Circa 1756 Detailed archaeological etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi included in his monumental “Le Antichita Romane;” it presents a close architectural study of the inscribed marble facing of the Pyramid of Caius Cestius in Rome, recording the monument's dedicatory inscriptions in precise Roman capitals. The upper inscription identifies the tomb's occupant, Gaius Cestius Epulo, a Roman magistrate and member of the septemviri epulonum, while the lower text records that the work was completed within 330 days per the terms of his will, and notes its 1663 restoration under Pope Alexander VII. Framed. Not examined out of frame. 17 x 36 inches; frame: 20 x 39 inches $250-350
